LCEC – Lee County Electric Cooperative

Net Metering Program

LCEC has developed a program for environmentally conscious customers by providing a means to
interconnect their renewable generation systems (RGS) including photovoltaic systems (PV) to LCEC’s power grid.

LCEC Net Metering Guidelines

The LCEC Net Metering program allows LCEC customers with a renewable generation system (RGS) to
offset all or part of their energy use. To offset energy use, the output from the customer’s RGS must be
used downstream of the meter where it is connected.

Energy not consumed when it is produced is sent to the grid as excess energy and is accumulated and
accounted for in reserves to be drawn upon as needed to offset future energy use from LCEC. Unused
reserves (also referred to as banked usage) remaining after the December billing will be payable to the
member in January at the calculated avoided wholesale rate for the prior year. Payable amounts less than
$25 will be applied as a credit on the bill. All other amounts will be paid by check. Since the avoided
purchase power cost is variable and is less than the retail rate, it is prudent for members to install a RGS
that produces up to the amount of energy the member uses in a year.

Guidelines:

• Operation of the RGS, except for testing and inspection, prior to the installation of the new LCEC bidirectional meter is prohibited and may result in meter tampering penalties. Members will not receive credit for excess kWh generation for periods of operation prior to the installation of the bidirectional meter.
• A manual disconnect switch is required for all RGS installations. The manual disconnect switch should disconnect only the renewable source and not the entire member service. The manual disconnect switch for all tier systems shall be installed as shown in the LCEC Electric Service and Meter Requirements. Please reference our ESMR-Handbook’s Distributed Energy Resources section for more details. If you have any questions about Meter Service Requirements please contact the Meter Service
  Department at (239) 656-2106.
• The RGS must shut down when the LCEC grid shuts down in order to prevent dangerous back feed. This is required to protect the public, LCEC employees and contractors who may be working on the grid.
• For inverter-based systems, the Gross power rating (GPR) shall be calculated by the total installed AC generating capacity of the inverter(s). However, for systems where the total DC generating capacity is less than the inverter AC output, the GPR shall be calculated by multiplying the total installed DC generating capacity by 0.85.
• The member on the account must complete the following before the RGS can be operational. Once all documentation has been received, LCEC will install the bidirectional meter.
  • Application and Compliance Form
  • Interconnection Agreement
  • Proof of inspection by the local authorities
  • Pay an application fee to LCEC
  • Proof of insurance in the amounts specified in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 Interconnection Agreements

Benefits of Net Metering

• Offsets electricity costs
• Reduces dependence on fossil fuels
• Excess energy rolls forward each month
• Customer receives credit for excess energy left over at the end of the calendar year
• Encourages use of renewable energy sources
• Reduces healthcare costs associated with air pollution

Updated Interconnection Agreement and Compliance Form

We have recently updated our Interconnection agreement, Application and Compliance Form,
and our ESMR handbook regarding disconnect switch specification for all tiers. Please
ensure the most recent updated forms are submitted and installation of all equipment meet
LCEC specifications to avoid delays.

Click here to continue: Interconnection Tiers